In an interview with RT, Syrian President Bashar Assad said it is vital for Syria to expel US troops from its territory. He said the first option would be to get the US to agree to leave, but said Syria was "going to resort to liberating those areas by force" if necessary.

"We don't have any other options," Assad insisted. He noted that US troops are in the country with no legal basis, and pointed out the consequences of the US having similarly entered Iraq with no legal basis.